Strike Force for Weaver
by Janis Carr, Orange County Register
April 2, 2004
Long Beach State pitcher Jered Weaver enters the game with a steely-eyed determination, a look familiar to fans and batters. He is intense and has every intention of winning.
Something goes wrong, though. His fast-twitch muscles aren't responding quickly enough, his strategy fails and soon, the game is over. Weaver has lost.
When it comes to video games, Weaver doesn't win every time.
"He loses his fair share in video games," 49ers catcher Brad Davis said, with a hint of satisfaction. "We have to have that competition away from the field."
On the baseball field, however, it is a different story. The boy who grew up watching his older brother, Jeff, pitch his way to records and the major leagues now is traveling a similar path.
In three seasons at Long Beach State, Weaver, a lanky 6-foot-5 junior right-hander, has established himself as the top collegiate pitcher in the country. His fastball has been clocked between 89 and 94 mph, and he has a slider and curveball that continually fool opposing batters with his three-quarter delivery.
"I just go out there and do the best I can, and I've had a good season so far," Weaver said. "Hopefully, I can keep it up, and the team can win the Big West and get to Omaha."
A good season? Try record-setting. Or incredible. Or perfect.
A good season? Try an 0.64 ERA. Or 21 consecutive scoreless innings. Or eight victories with no losses. Or 16 strikeouts in six innings against Wichita State.
"He made us look pretty stupid," Wichita State right fielder Drew Moffitt said.
A good season? Try a record five-time National Player of the Week. Try potentially the No.1 pick in the June draft.
"In 27 years of coaching, I have faced a lot of great pitchers, a lot of future All-Stars and Hall of Famers," Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson said. "Not even Roger Clemens struck out 16 of us in six innings. Weaver is the most dominant pitcher I've faced in my 27 years."
Largely because of Weaver's dominance, the 49ers are ranked No.13 in the country and are among the favorites to win the Big West Conference. Weaver will be on the mound tonight when Long Beach takes on Cal State Fullerton in a nonconference game at Goodwin Field.
"This season has been a confidence builder for me," Weaver said. "Competitiveness and confidence is a great big part of my success. I simply take everything one thing at a time and not let things go off in different directions."
The San Diego Padres hold the No.1 pick and have expressed interest in Weaver, who could command a sizeable signing bonus because of his dominance and because he has the leverage of returning for his senior year. The No.1 draft pick last year, outfielder Delmon Young, received a $3.7 million signing bonus.
Batters are hitting .118 against Weaver.
Early struggles
"He has such command of his fastball and his ability to change speeds and his deception is what makes him so good," said former Long Beach State coach Dave Snow, now a scout for the Colorado Rockies. "He is blessed with a good arm, but he has developed his mechanics extremely well."
Not bad for a guy who was booted from the 49ers' rotation in his freshman season after four poor outings.
Long Beach assistant coach Troy Buckley said success came quickly to Weaver his first season, and it hurt his game.
"It got easy for him and then he got lazy. And his work ethic suffered, and then his results dropped off," Buckley said. "I had to take him out of the rotation."
Time in the bullpen allowed Weaver to retool his game and his attitude, as well as adjust his mechanics. Buckley taught the young pitcher how to use his athleticism, height and discipline to control his head movement and in turn become a great pitcher.
"He took it the best way, and by the end of the season, he was one of our best pitchers," Buckley said.
Two years later, Weaver is one of the best pitchers in the country as evidenced by his selection as the nation's top player five times in the two-month-old 2004 season.
"He's ahead of 90-95 percent of all college pitchers today," Buckley said. "He's very, very advanced. His fastball is one of the best I've seen, and he can elevate his curveball on purpose, so batters don't know which way it's going."
Praise from brother
Weaver is constantly compared to former USC pitcher and current major-leaguer Mark Prior, the No.2 pick in the 2001 draft. Buckley said while both can command their fastballs, their deliveries are different.
"Prior's game is more physical, and his delivery is effortless, while Jered's is more spirited," Buckley said.
UC Irvine coach John Savage, who coached Prior while he was at USC, called Weaver's command "special and his delivery is tough to decipher."
"This guy is a whirlwind coming at you because he has two different approaches," Savage said.
Dodgers pitcher Jeff Weaver, an All-American at Fresno State, has kept tabs on his brother's progress this season. He said Jered already has a better grasp of the mental game than he did in college.
"He's handled his business," said Jeff Weaver, who was pitching in the majors a year after being a first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers. "He has a few more pitches already than I did in college. His changeup is unbelievable. I didn't even have one until a couple years ago. He's just really more advanced than I was at that age.
"I don't think anything can stop the success he's going to have."
All the numbers, the accolades and ensuing attention haven't fazed Weaver. While many would think about the millions of dollars waiting after the June draft, Weaver is focused on his teammates and their desire to reach the College World Series.
"He knows he has a great future ahead of him, but he also knows that we came to Long Beach to go to Omaha," said Davis, the 49ers' catcher. "He's definitely a team player who wants the same things for all of us."
Multi-sport start
Jered Weaver credits his parents for keeping him grounded. He grew up in a modest house in Simi Valley and said his family never had a lot of money. His father, Dave, was an electrical contractor for 25 years before retiring last year. His mother, Gail, still works part time in the cafeteria at a middle school.
"Our dad would tell us that he didn't want us to carry tool bags around for a long time like he did," Jered said. "He worked hard for what we had."
Gail and Dave Weaver spent hours shuttling Jered to basketball and baseball practices since he was 7 years old. He even tried soccer, but "that didn't work out that well," Gail Weaver said.
Weaver's mother said they didn't push athletics on their sons, but they did harp about the importance of a college education.
"That's what we were pushy about," Gail Weaver said. "We were adamant they go to school."
Jered Weaver said he finally settled on baseball because he didn't think that as a 6-foot-5 shooting guard he would have much of a future. Besides, if his brother could make the major leagues, then he could, too.
Every summer since his brother moved up to the big leagues, Jered has spent a week to 10days with his brother, seeing close up the life of a major-league player.
"He'd see all the things that take place, and I think he took all that stuff back with him and incorporated it all, and he's doing a tremendous job with it," said Jeff, who is six years older.
"He's seeing how baseball humbles you very quickly. It can be a roller coaster at times."
Jeff said he believes his brother is handling the pressure of the season well.
"He's going out there and handling his business each time," Jeff said. "The expectations are high, but he's handling it great. If he stays healthy with the size he is and how he's throwing the ball and with the pitches he can throw, I don't see why any team would pass on him." |
